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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 124 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the button?
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. wound — an injury
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. press — to push
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. bank — for money
  7. bank — for money
  8. squash — to crush
  9. press — a publisher
  10. cue — a signal
  11. current — of water
  12. capital — a big letter
  13. press — newspapers
  14. cue — a hint
  15. craft — a skill
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. bank — of a river
  18. squash — the sport
  19. cue — for pool
  20. wound — an injury
  21. capital — a city
  22. craft — boats
  23. capital — money
  24. current — electric

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com